Craig Staats was the right man at the right time for Richland Township.
It is not surprising that there is little news, or political excitement, in Richland these days. What used to be a hotbed of acrimony, and housing growth, has settled down to life as a bedroom community for workplaces as far away as Philly and New York.
This relative tranquility - which is what many families envisioned when they decided to move here in the late 1990's and early 2000's - has not been entirely of Richland's own doing. The moribund economy, combined with the moratorium on new hookups at the Quakertown sewer plant, have effectively stopped housing construction. That decline in turn led to the disappearance of the nasty political activity, which had ratcheted up in 2003 with the surprise election of Green candidate (and now former Supervisor) Mike Zowniriw.
Zowniriw, a political unknown at the time, struck a community nerve with his anti-development campaign, but his bizarre, and eventually criminal, behavior soon alienated even his strongest supporters, and he didn't even bother to announce his "retirement" when the 2009 elections rolled around. By then he had become irrelevant, having been regularly outvoted on his outlandish schemes, like using town open space for a water-gulping, fertilizer-eating, money-pit golf course, and rezoning all farmland in a way that would have made it very difficult for the owners to sell their family land to provide cash for future generations.
But this type of Zinsanity almost became reality here. Richland came perilously close to having a Zowniriw-led majority on the Board of Supervisors, and on other township volunteer boards. The man who deserves a good deal of the credit for preventing this disaster, and bringing harmony to the community over six remarkable years, is Craig Staats, who will be stepping down as Supervisor at the end of 2011.
Staats was a successful businessman, and Navy veteran, who was Chairman of the Richland Preservation Board in 2004. Soon after Zowniriw was seated, Z tried to have his wife, Amy, and his political soul mate, Paul Maderson, added to the Board, even though there were no openings, and other interested citizens were already on the waiting list. The PB voted unanimously to reject the two.
Mike Zowniriw then gave the community a little preview of the way he would conduct business as a Supervisor. In May, 2004, he publicly demanded that Staats resign as PB Chairman. Craig's response was unprintable, but the rough translation was "No thank you".
And the Zowniriws continued to push for the duo to be appointed, even after Maderson ignored the township zoning code, and was caught illegally operating a bed and breakfast in his home. Meanwhile, Z was involved in one embarrassment after another: rebuked by a county judge for attempting to use his position to interfere in a legal matter; improperly trying to prevent a zoning change; sending out a letter to residents that falsely purported to be from the township; and being slapped down by a Special Counsel when he accused the township of illegal activities. Finally, Staats had had enough. And he did something about it.
In February, 2005, a full 274 days before the actual election, he announced that he would be running for Supervisor. And the Democrat he faced was Zowniriw's buddy, Vic Stevens, a former QCSD teacher who, it was revealed, was not rehired here after getting terrible evaluations. Stevens also used a deceptive website in his campaign, making it appear that he was a Republican, endorsed by other Republicans, and was involved with a group whose activities eventually forced the closure of the Main Street Theater. Had he joined Zowniriw on the Board, there is no telling what would have become of this community.
But Staats won in a landslide, after campaigning on The Staats Plan, which promised to slow development by reducing dependence on outdated zoning laws, and concentrating on regulating the placement of water and sewer lines, which is difficult for developers to challenge.
And it worked! No longer can developers take advantage of Richland's terrible Comprehensive Plan, drafted in 1997 by people who would later be Zowniriw's strongest supporters. When the sewer moratorium is finally removed, builders will have to comply with Richland's new plan, which greatly restricts where housing can be placed.
Staats was the man Richland needed after the Zowniriw disaster. His 60% - 40% landslide win over Stevens in 2005 demonstrated that Z's upset victory was more of a fluke than a community mandate. And the Staats triumph started a trend that continued with Rick Orloff's re-election in 2007, and Tim Arnold joining the board in 2009. Both received the same 60/40% vote as Staats.
Aside from the national economy forcing the first general tax increase here in 19 years, there has been little to complain about in RT for most of Staats' term. When the major headlines involve a discussion about whether to hire a private trash collector for the entire township, you know things are quiet. The town long ago cut its meetings from twice a month to once.
With everything in Richland now under control, Staats is comfortable in moving ahead with his profession. He has accepted a new position as a regional executive of a growing national restaurant chain.
"The most satisfying part of being a Supervisor is getting to know others in the community, and what's important to them...what matters! Working with the RT staff and volunteers was also very rewarding. Residents should know that the Sups, staff and volunteers truly care about our township, and work very hard to make the right decisions for the common good of everyone. I am proudest of the fact that I was able to deliver on my campaign promises, especially in updating the township's Comprehensive Plan. We now have a better tool to help manage growth."
"While I enjoyed serving Richland in several capacities over a 12 year period, my work travel schedule is much more intense than it used to be, and it has become difficult to devote the necessary time to the Supervisor position. It was an honor and a privilege serving RT as Supervisor, Chairman of the Preservation Board, member of the Planning Commission, and past president of my Home Owners Association. I'll continue to volunteer at St. Isidore's, and I'm an officer at our local Knights of Columbus Council."
Even after those 12 years, there are still many people in Richland who don't know Craig. But he, as much as anyone, is responsible for making the township the kind of place the community wants it to be.